


Past Choices, New Chances

by Colercw



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, Gen, Wynonna is a Musician AU, serial killer au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-04
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2018-11-23 10:02:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11400300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Colercw/pseuds/Colercw
Summary: A Wynonna Earp story set in an alternative universe, where wayhaught is together from the start, Wynonna is a failed singer harboring dark secrets, Dolls is a profiler hunting for a serial killer and somehow Doc is in the middle of it.





	1. Invitation to disaster

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic on archive so all critique, reviews, and help, is welcome and appreciated. Please don't hesitate, hearing what you think is going to make me a better writer and the story better than what it is. Updates will be a little irregular until I can get a good schedule going. Thanks in advance.

She checked the invitation one last time before crumpling it up into her pocket. What was she doing. She left Purgatory in her headlights five years ago, battered and bruised with a guitar and a chance to hit it big. One charted single and an unreleased album later and life was back to the shits. The label had spent years working on her image as folk music's answer to Taylor Swift. Alcohol killed her good girl image and jail time killed her professional reputation. After the third arrest the label severed her contract and cut their losses. 

That was two years ago, two full years of being asked to sing the one song she didn't pen. Two years of barely making rent. Still the thought of going back to Purgatory never crossed her mind. Not until today. Today sandwiched between two overdue bills was a small square envelope. Inside was a piece of card stock folded in half with fancy gold letters. 

The invitation spelled out the location, date, and time for the wedding of one Miss Waverly Earp soon to be Mrs. Waverly Haught. It has been five years since she had left and five years since the last conversation she had with her sister. 

Waverly was just seventeen, she was top of her class, about to graduate a year early. She had a full ride out of Purgatory and a boyfriend she was sweet on. Ask anyone at the time and they would have pegged Waverly as the one to up and leave and Wynonna to be living the rest of her days in the drunk tank. Somethings never change. 

After the timely death of her father due to a well placed bullet, Waverly stayed and rooted herself to Purgatory, giving herself a life sentence for a crime she didn't commit. Wynonna did the opposite after barely escaping a manslaughter charge she took the first opportunity that came her way and left Purgatory and everyone in it. She used alcohol to forget and her music to cope. Purgatory was supposed to stay in the past, but bad memories never seem to stick to the rule.  
The wedding was two days away, which meant she had to decide, now what she was going to do. Looking around her barely furnished apartment the decision was clear. Here she was a nobody, a cheap act to go with cheap booze. She had nothing keeping her here, no real friends, no family. Waverly was the only one left, the only Earp in Purgatory wanted anything to do with her. 

"What the hell, lets go home. Shit I'm talking to my guitar now."  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
One plane ride later and Wynonna butt was numb on cheap bus seats. With thirty minutes left in a journey that felt like an eternity, she read the invitation looking for clues who the mystery man was. The name Haught didn't ring a bell and with only first initials to go by she had no clue who it could be.

"Are you Wynonna Earp?"

Wynonna looked up to see "That depends do you work for the law, or are you fan?"

"Neither, it's Kiersten"

"uh" Wynonna had no clue who she was.

"Kiersten Lesko, I was a waitress at Cat Fights"

Still nothing.

"The lesbian bar next to the Mexican place, you preformed on taco and tatas Tuesday"

ohhhh

"Kiersten, yeah, you used to slip me free drinks after my set"

"At least someone appreciated my job performance. They let me go a week ago, something about an inventory discrepancy"

"You were the best thing about that place"

"Are you sure it wasn't the free booze"

"Well... yeah those were great. You going to Purgatory"

"You mean, Hicksville, USA. No I'm going north to Casper"

"nice" Wynonna checked her phone, twenty minutes to go. "look, I'm kinda tired sooo…"

"oh, oh, ohhh, my bad, just didn't expect to see anyone from the city"

Back to N. Haught, what guy names start with N anyway? Nick, Nico, Noah, Nathan. Unless we're talking Nathan Fillion, having N as your first initial wasn't a good sign. Waverly always had a thing for losers, hopefully this guy was not Champ number two.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Ten minutes to go and the bus suddenly stopped, a tire blow out.

The noise woke Wynonna up with a start and she started to ask herself why she didn't bring anything to drink. She didn't have much with her to begin with and alcohol would be a welcome addition. Looking outside, wasn't the best idea. Purgatory might be a desert city, but it was surrounded by forests. Lush green packs of trees dotted the land. In daylight the scene would be postcard ready, by at night the forest was nightmare fuel. Most of Purgatory's urban legends take place in the woods, usually accompanied by a demonic figure or feral animal. The truth was no one knew what lived in the woods, so they were avoided at all costs, especially at night.

The bus doors slid open and out walked a passenger, mumbling something about a bathroom. The driver closed the door behind her and started to make a call. Who was the idiot that decided to go into a dark Forrest in the middle of the night?

Looking around, Wynonna took stock of who was around her, the bus maybe cheap, but it was crowded. No one from Purgatory that she knew of, and no tourists, people from neighboring cities maybe. Purgatory did have a working train that ran through it and connected it to Bancroft, Kalispell, Grafton, and Casper.

Fuck

Where's Kiersten?

Wynonna looked for the blonde to no avail.   
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Wynonna was an idiot on most days stupid on others, but today had to take the cake. Today in the middle of the night she decided to leave the confines of her Express Arrow bus and start wandering through the woods looking for a girl who she barely knew. The bus driver even looked at her like she was crazy, but no one takes fifteen minutes to use the bathroom.

Using her phone as a flashlight she walked through the trees, trying to avoid loose rocks and tree roots.

"Kiersten, if you're alive, zip up your pants, its time to head back".

"Kiersten, come on, pull up your panties we gotta go"

"Kiersten-"

A scream shook through the woods, yep this was dumb, she was stupid, and now she was running toward a scream, in the dark, at night, without anyone to back her up. This was really dumb.   
The scream was deeper in the woods than Wynonna thought and belonged to a blonde mess in a pool of blood. "Help, help, my leg, it won't stop bleeding"

Wynonna took stock of the situation an old bear trap had closed around Kiersten's leg, tightly. The amount of blood coming from the wound was jarring, this much blood from such a tiny person was not good, she had to get the trap open. "Kiersten, I'm here, just... don't move"

“Hurry up, he’s gonna come back”

Using a pocket knife she is able to open the trap, but the bleeding won't stop. It just keeps flowing like a river of red. Wynonna threw off her shirt and tried to tie it above the wound, but it was too late. The ground was soaked with Kiersten's blood and there was nothing she could do about it.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"... just outside the city limits. Some kind of hunter's trap. A bear one maybe, just hurry."

"Okay the officer's are on the way could I get your name "

"my name?"

Wynonna hung up the call and then chucked her phone, she did not want anything to do with Purgatory's finest.

The walk to Purgatory wasn't far, but by the time she arrived in town the dried blood on her jeans started to get sticky and develop a certain metallic aroma. Her bags along with her guitar were still on board the bus. With no money she had no choice, but to go to the one place she was hoping to avoid.   
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The Earp Homestead was at the edge of Purgatory in the boonies, isolated from the rest of Purgatory, its ten acres stood undisturbed, police tape still dotted the fence surrounding the property. Wynonna thrusted her key into the lock and with a click the door opened. Inside was a museum, nothing had changed, dried blood was still on the floor boards and water was still on the stove. It had been five years and everything looked the same. Five years ago on this very spot, with her father in a drunken stupor and Waverly scared in the corner, Wynonna pulled the trigger. Five years ago she became the town pariah, an orphan, and a murder suspect. Five years ago she barely escaped a manslaughter charge.

Like the downstairs the upstairs was the same, frozen in time. Her big sister's room set up as if she'd come back someday. Her room was left untouched and in its unkept state. It's closet still full of her clothes and her first guitar in the corner. Quickly she took a shower and changed. Grabbing a bag she threw in some extra clothes. Leaving, she turned back only to grab her guitar and out the front door she went. 

Stepping outside, the noon sun beating down on her shoulder, Wynonna was unprepared for a big black Tahoe to be waiting outside.

"Wynonna Earp?"

"If my parole officer's asking, then no"

"We got your call, you wanna tell me what happened on that bus"

" Can we do this in private"

"sure I just need your statement"

The front door on the Earp Homestead opened again for the first time in five years. With the kitchen table clear Wynonna sat down and waited for the man in the suit to talk. 

"Nice place. Yours?"

"No. Well... not anymore, so if you could…"

"Hurry up? that depends on you"

"Look, I was gonna come to the cops. Just needed to change my clothes"

"We're gonna need those for evidence"

"Am I being charged with something? Because trust me: having to ride the bus is punishment enough."

"A girl is dead, Ms. Earp"

"I had nothing to do with that"

"I know. I spoke to the driver. He was scared, said he heard a scream and that you and Kiersten were the only one's who left the bus"

"I'm sorry, I'm"

"Drunk?"

"Lost. Who did you say you were again"

"Xavier Dolls, F.B.I. You should know the badge well, you've seen lots of them, given your record"

Out of his jacket he pulled out a file. 

"My file, why pull it if you know I had nothing to do with her death"? 

"information is power in my line of work, we pulled your license, Happy Birthday by the way"

"What division did you say you worked for"

"I'm a profiler, Ms. Earp, we monitor specific activity. Catch the bad guys."

"I've seen Criminal minds, what kind of activity is going on in Purgatory"?

The agents eyes shift, he was nervous, Wynonna could tell.

"Unimaginable"

She needed a drink. In the corner of the kitchen was a small cabinet fulled with her father's stash. Like the rest of the house it was still full, contents undisturbed. Grabbing a bottle of whiskey she poured herself a drink.

"Know what I think? I think you saw who killed Kiersten"

"A bear trap. A big bear trap."

"That your final answer?"

Wynonna takes another swill of her drink.

"Give your sister my congratulations for her wedding"

"Leave Waverly out of this. Please."

Dolls smirks

"just wanted to say congrats"

Wynonna stands up and so does the agent.

"the sheriff wants to talk to you, I could give you a ride"

"no thanks, I'll walk"  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The afternoon sun had set in by the time she arrived at the sheriffs office. The station was almost empty except for one room which seemed to be room which seemed to be enveloped by chaos. 

"Wynonna, get your crap, its in the back"

"Thanks Nedley, you know what to say to make a girl feel welcome"

Sure enough in the back of the office was her bag and guitar from the bus along with a red-haired officer.

"Can you verify that everything is how you had it and then sign here."

She opened her bag, music check, clothes check, gift check, guitar…

"You're Wynonna, Waverly's sister right"

"Not when the cops are asking"

"oh I'm not a cop"

Wynonna quirked a brow.

"Well, I am, but I'm more"

"More what, please tell me you don't work with Dolls"

"Oh, god no I don't work for the F.B.I, I mean I'm more to you, or will be in a couple of hours"

Wynonna was still confused.

"I'm Nicole, Nicole Haught, Waverly's fiance"

"You're N. Haught"

"yeah, I know we haven't met, but Waverly has talked so much about you"

"so you're working on your wedding day"

"its kind of all hands on deck, since the disappearances"

"disappearances-"

The door to the room opened and Wynonna turned around, there she was. Waverly Earp soon to be Waverly Haught, her little sister wasn't so little anymore.


	2. Beautiful Chaos

"Wynonna, you're here"

 

The silence in the room was beginning to turn awkward. There is no telling what five years apart can do to a relationship. For all Wynonna knew Waverly could hate her. It wouldn't be a stretch. Five years, missed birthdays, phone calls, funerals, in her quest to run from the past Wynonna had cut off this part of her life.

Wynonna stood stock sill, she didn't know what to say, no apology could make up for five years. She couldn't talk herself out of this one.

Waverly was the one to break the silence. In a fit of tears she launched herself into Wynonna's arms.

"What are you doing in town? You couldn't tell me you were coming?"

She didn't know?

"It was supposed to be a surprise, I called in some favors and found her address. Waverly detached herself from Wynonna long enough to wipe her eyes. Wynonna watched as she pushed past her, slowing her steps as she reached her partner.

"T minus 2 hours"

Waverly grabbed Nicole by the neck-this was getting weird. Waverly pulled Nicole into her, lips brushing. 

"OK you do that, I'll just..." Grabbing her bag and guitar case she started heading towards the door with a purpose.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The sun was still beating on Wynonna when she stepped out of the sheriff's office. Why did she have to wear a leather jacket. Shrugging it off, she tossed it over her shoulder. She needed a drink. With two hours to kill she walked into Shorty's, plopped her stuff down and took the seat closest to the taps.

"What can I get you"

"Something strong"

After a few seconds a drink was placed in front of her. The mystery brown liquid sloshed in the glass. Picking it up, she threw it back...bad idea. The liquor burned like hell.

"What is this shit"

"Excuse me miss, I couldn't help, but see you were having trouble with that particular spirit. Why don't I buy you a drink more suitable to your delicate pallet"

Wynonna turned around. "Trust me, drinking might be the only thing I'm good at"

"I beg to differ Ms. Earp, I am very much aware of your musical talents."

Wynonna took stock of the stranger for the first time, sideburns, mustache and cowboy hat included. The man was dressed like a folk hero from the 1800's and apparently a fan.

"You want an autograph or something"

"No, I was hoping that we could come to some sort of arrangement. See it just so happens that I am in the need of some entertainment for this here bar."

"You bought Shorty's" Wynonna knew Shorty died, she never once thought of what would happen to his bar. 

"I came to acquire the property at the behest of sheriff Nedley and one Mr. Dolls."

"And they gave it to you because" Wynonna turned on the charm. Crossing her legs and leaning forward. She wanted answers. Why is the F.B.I in Purgatory? What about those disappearances. Who's the mystery man that likes to set traps, in the woods? If this stranger knew anything she wanted to know.

"It was either me, a worldly gentleman take over this here establishment, or the likes of the men over there"

The table in question was full of unsavory looking characters. Six men decked out in an unfashionable combination of denim and leather. From experience she could tell that some of them were carrying, probably a knife in the boot and a pistol in the holster. They looked like trouble. Maybe Wynonna knew some of them.

"Well, Ms. Earp, I trust you'll think about our little arrangement" The stranger started to move away from her. "Wait. You never gave me your name."

"Some Gentleman I am, People call me Henry, though you can call me Doc." With a tip of his hat and a short smirk he turned on his heels and walked over to the table full of the so-called unsavory characters. They were laughing, joking, drinking, all the scene needed was a deck of cards and it would be an old western  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
After a while the bar started to thin out, Purgatory hadn't changed as much as she thought. Weddings, it seemed, were still a town wide event. Everybody was invited and everyone went. For a town in the middle of nowhere every celebration was a big deal.

Wynonna made her way to the location, bags and guitar in toll, a little buzzed not drunk. The location was very Waverly. An old barn on the edge of the homestead, big enough to seat whoever showed. After chairs ran out, bales of hay were used and no one complained. 

Dotted around the faces of Purgatory were some redheads, nicely dressed in contrast to the t-shirt and jeans worn by everyone else. 

In the center of the barn stood a woman. She was young, close to Wynonna's age, she didn't recognized her. She was wearing jeans and an orange blouse almost tucked into her brown leather belt. She didn't look like she was from Purgatory, but the aura of weird and creepy she gave off made her fit in.

"Waverly and Nicole, please join hands. As your hands are joined, so your lives, holding each other, supporting each other, Loving each other”

Waverly stood and for the first time Wynonna caught a glimpse of her dress. It was simple, free flowing, almost looked homemade and Nicole's was beautiful, long and streaked with purple. Turning her eyes back to the woman she Wynonna noticed her taking a piece of leather braided with gold and ivory ribbon. Yep this was very Waverly.

"The promises made today and the ties that are bound here greatly strengthen your union and will cross the years and lives of each soul’s growth. Are you sure you want to do this?

Not breaking eye contact the brides both responded with yes.

"Grab hands" Waverly reached out and with her left hand grabbed Nicole's right. "Waverly, will you-"

"Wait"

Oh shit.

A large audible gasp runs through the crowd. Nicole is just standing there shell shocked. All eyes are on Waverly.

"Can I say something?" The woman nods her head. "Nicole, it seems like we met yesterday, but I've been waiting forever for someone like you. Someone who’s strong, and smart, and brave. My whole life, I’ve been waiting for someone who would protect me, need me, I wanted to feel important, and you… you don’t need me”

Nicole let a tear slip, “of course I need you”

"No you don’t, and I don’t want you to. Being with you has made me realize, that I am strong, that I don’t need to be needed, because you will always be there. I know if I fell, you will be right there, even if I was fine. I love you so much”

The barn was completely silent.

" Um...OK, Waverly will you-”

"I will"

"Nicole will you-"

"Of Course"

The leather cord is looped around the couples looped around the couple's hands.

"Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be a shelter to the other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other. Now there is no loneliness for you, for each of you will be companion to the other. Now you are two bodies, but there is only one life before you. May your days be good and long upon the earth!”

The barn erupted in hoots, hollers, and claps filled the barn as the couple kissed.  
After the festivities reached their conclusion Wynonna was left a little more sober and a little less weary. Maybe she made the right choice after all, Purgatory wasn’t so bad, minus a few shitheads. It could be worse. Wynonna had left the barn, soon after the wedding. 

She put her gift with the rest of them. Hastily wrapped in newspaper, her gift stood apart from all others. Inside between the comics and sport section was an old book. She didn’t know the title or what is was about, all Wynonna knew was that it was old and in Latin, or Samaritan, or some other dead language. What could she say, she was in a rush and the first thing that came to mind was the old bookstore around the corner. 

When she first moved to the big city, she would curse at the bookstore. Wally’s reminded her to much of home, too much of Waverly. On her ride to the airport she stopped and bought the first book she saw. She was in a rush to catch a plane… and a bus, beside a leather bound book written in another language just seemed appropriate.

“Wynonna, wait”

Wynonna looked up to see Waverly running behind her. “Wynonna wait up”

She slowed down, “You’re not leaving, right. I mean, you just got here”

“No, I was just heading up to the homestead, to get settled in”. Waverly stared visibly confused.

“You’re staying in the homestead?”. 

“You weren't playing on using it for some weird honeymoon thing, were you?”

“oh god no, its just that, no one’s been in that place for years, since...”

“Since I shot dad”

“I was gonna say, since you left, but that works too”

[insert awkward silence]

“So, Nicole huh”

“Yeah, I wasn’t looking for anyone, let alone a woman, but Nicole… She just… all of a sudden life was fun again.”

“How did you meet her”

“At Shorty's, she came in, off of patrol, I was soaking wet-”

“OK, too much information”

“no, I meant, the taps, they exploded and soaked my shirt I smelled like beer for the rest of the day.”

“so love at first soaked shirt?”

“something like that”

[insert more awkward silence]

“so its been five years, I’m dying to know what happened. It must be so cool. Playing guitar in clubs, making real music, getting on the charts-”

“barely making rent”

“that bad”

“It wasn’t a walk in the park, but it was fun while it lasted”

“so you’re done with music”

“maybe, I don’t know. I got a job offer”

“where”

“in town”

Waverly stopped in her tracks. “you’re staying in Purgatory”

“I could use a change in scenery” Wynonna looked around, she could get used to-

“Waves” Both Wynonna and Waverly’s attention shifted, immediately as a khaki clad Nicole came running up behind them. With her shirt untucked, jacket in hand, hair still down, and hat on backwards, it was obvious something was going. ‘

“Waverly, I have to go”

“wait what’s going on

Suddenly sirens filled the air and dirt is kicked into the air as police cars and SUVs pull away from where they were parked. “Another body was found in the woods, they think its Medley's daughter.”

Wynonna quirked her eyebrow, “Wasn’t she at the wedding”

“She just left fifteen minutes ago, that means whoever did this has to still be in the area. I’m so sorry Waves” Nicole hurriedly tucked in her shirt and threw on her hat. After a quick kiss and a ‘love you baby’, Officer Haught left.

“Guess the party’s over”


End file.
